Padres Minor-League Report: A Mixed Night For System As Late Innings Give Trouble

[Brock Beauchamp]

Three of four affiliates showed offensive punch late, with walk-offs from El Paso and big hits from Cedeño, Long, and Wilson. However, bullpen inconsistencies and defensive lapses—especially in Lake Elsinore—remain recurring issues. Strong nights from De Vries, Gómez, and King Jr. underscored continued progress for key prospects.

Durán’s Walk-Off Homer Lifts El Paso in Stunning 9th-Inning Rally
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Rodolfo Durán delivered a three-run walk-off homer in the bottom of the ninth to cap El Paso’s 4–3 comeback over Reno, erasing a late deficit and bailing out a bullpen that had faltered in the top half of the inning. The shot, Durán’s third of the season, came off southpaw Andrew Saalfrank and marked his second extra-base hit in three games.

Starter Kyle Hart was sharp, allowing one earned run over five innings with six strikeouts. This is a stark reversal of his previous June starts, when he gave up eight earned runs in 9 1/3 innings. El Paso’s bullpen, however, nearly let the game slip. Raul Brito and Alek Jacob each allowed an earned run, including a solo homer by Trey Mancini and a double from the same in the eighth.

A.J. Vukovich’s ninth-inning homer off Jose Espada briefly gave Reno a 3–1 edge, but El Paso’s bats came alive late.

Forrest Wall collected two hits, and Tim Locastro drove in a run in the fourth. Wall also recorded an outfield assist to cut down a runner at second.

Despite only having five opportunities with runners in scoring position, El Paso’s late power saved the day.

Cedeño and Missions Rally Late to Down Frisco 4–2
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The Missions overcame a 2–0 deficit with a four-run sixth inning, defeating Frisco 4–2 behind clutch hitting from Nerwilian Cedeño and a bullpen performance that combined for five innings of two-run ball with eight strikeouts.

Cedeño, who hit his third double of the past week, drove in the first San Antonio run and later came around to score. Moisés Gómez added a sharp double to right, his 14th of the year.

Starter Luis Patiño pitched four shutout innings with six strikeouts. He’s now given up just one earned run over his last 15 2/3 innings and appears to be regaining the swing-and-miss arsenal that once made him a prized prospect. Enmanuel Pinales earned the win, working around two walks and two hits over two frames.

Jake Higginbotham and Ethan Routzahn slammed the door, retiring nine of ten batters faced and striking out four. Brandon Valenzuela contributed with a run-scoring groundout and a stolen base.

TinCaps Drop Slugfest Despite Long’s Late Homer
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Despite Ethan Long’s solo blast in the ninth and an eighth-inning two-run rally, the Fort Wayne TinCaps fell 6–4 to Dayton on Monday, undone by a pair of fourth-inning home runs and an early 6–1 deficit.

Brandon Butterworth opened the game with a solo homer, his fourth of the year. Leo De Vries reached base twice and flashed defensive consistency at shortstop, while third baseman Rosman Verdugo scored a run.

Starter Ian Koenig allowed six runs on seven hits over 4 2/3 innings, including homers to John Michael Faile, Connor Burns, and Leo Balcazar. The outing ballooned his ERA to 6.65, and he has now allowed at least four runs in four of his last five appearances.

Reliever Fernando Sanchez was effective in 3 1/3 innings of hitless work, striking out two and walking just one. Jack Costello and Brendan Durfee each collected RBIs in the eighth to pull Fort Wayne close, but the TinCaps went 1-for-5 with runners in scoring position and left nine on base in the game.

Storm Outslugged in Rancho Cucamonga, Fall 9–1
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The Lake Elsinore Storm were outpaced 9–1 by Rancho Cucamonga as defensive miscues and extra-base hits by the Quakes proved too much to overcome. Kannon Kemp allowed three runs in the third, including a two-run homer to Samuel Munoz.

Ryan Wilson was a bright spot, doubling twice and walking twice, reaching base in all four of his plate appearances. Over his last five games, the 20-year-old has lifted his OBP nearly 50 points and now carries a .713 OPS on the season. Cobb Hightower added an RBI single to plate Wilson in the fifth, but Lake Elsinore went 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position and grounded into two double plays.

Lamar King Jr. drew a walk and threw out a runner, bringing his season caught-stealing mark to seven on the season.

The bullpen struggled as well. Igor Gil and Ruben Salinas combined to allow five earned runs in the final three innings, ballooning Salinas’s ERA to 9.53. Lake Elsinore has now dropped four in a row.

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